In yet another disappointing blow to the LGBT community, its allies, and equality, the Republicans in the Senate (with the help of two Blue Dog Democrats) successfully filibustered and killed the Defense Authorization Bill which contained the legislative repeal of the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that bans open services by gays and lesbians in the military.
By a vote of 56-43, a unanimous GOP block of Senators led by John McCain, and joined by Senators Pryor & Blanche Lincoln (both Democrats from Arkansas), blocked the debate and vote for cloture on the Authorization Bill. On a side note, both of Illinois' Democratic Senators, Dick Durbin and Roland Burris, voted for repeal of DADT. In laymen's terms: for the first time in history, the Defense Authorization Bill was filibustered and killed all in the name of homophobia and outright bigotry against LGBT Americans.
This is a huge setback to a legislative repeal of DADT. There is still a slight chance of a lame-duck Senate vote in December, after the midterm elections. That is also the month that the major Pentagon study on the DADT policy is due and the House of Representatives have already passed the bill with the DADT repeal language. This option is still a HUGE "if" scenario. After a hard midterm election cycle, will Harry Reid bring another vote? No one knows. One thing that is certain, however, is that the vehement opposition from the GOP is certain to stay. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is unequivocally opposed to repealing DADT or giving the Democratic leadership any kind bipartisan agreement, and so-called moderates like Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine voted with their anti-gay GOP cohorts in this last vote to keep DADT.
The other huge problem is the increasingly bitter and mean-spirited opposition from Senator John McCain. His mercurial positions on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" continue to tack further into right-wing bigotry land. While he once said he would revisit the DADT policy if the military leaders supported repeal (back when he was trying to appear more moderate in the Presidential elections), he now continues to move the goal posts for repeal. After the military leadership came out in support of the repeal, he said he needed to "hear from the troops" with a military study. Now that that study is being implemented, he continues to let his bigot flag fly by not only leading the filibuster effort that successfully killed the repeal, but now attacking the study so he can continue his angry tirade against gays and lesbians serving our country.
In the recent hearing to confirm the next commandant of the Marine Corps, McCain launched into attacks against the study, saying:
You know that this study, quote unquote, does not assess the impact of morale and effectiveness on the repeal of the law?
His new line of attack is clear: the study is a fake and shouldn't be considered. Way to move the goal post yet again, McCain...
The whole reasoning of the GOP against repeal is clearly falling apart and they are now using stall tactics and outright bigotry ("yikes! There will be gays in the showers!") to try to keep the homophobes in the military and in their party who are uncomfortable with LGBT people happy. The logic, the basic civil rights, the studies, the huge generational gap on the issue, and the reality that there are already gays and lesbian serving honorably are all against the right-wing and they are desperately grasping for straws.
And they are still winning, as this vote showed.
There is another DADT repeal hope on the horizon. A recent federal court ruling found "Don't ask, Don't Tell" to be unconstitutional. LGBT organizations and activists are pressuring the Obama Administration not to appeal the ruling, which could effectively kill the ban. The chances of that, however, are slim since the Administration has already defended other anti-gay laws they say they disagree with in court cases, like the Defense of Marriage Act. To sign the petition to demand the White House not appeal the decision, you can visit this site.
This defeat in the Senate doesn't bode well for LGBT rights on the federal level. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was considered low-hanging fruit and an easy "get" supported by the vast majority of Americans in poll after poll, including among Republican voters and Christians. If we can't get this done and Republicans are willing to vote against defense spending, which is their sacred cow, then I fear for the future of other important LGBT issues, like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act or repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (both of which were campaign promises made to the progressive community by this administration in the campaign).
There are promising movements being made through the court system and we do have some champions for equality in elected office, but this defeat makes it perfectly clear that as far as we have come when it comes to civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, we still have so much further to go. We have to continue to fight, to hold our elected officials accountable with our votes and our dollars, and to work at every level and branch of government. We can't sit back and count on one party or the soaring promises made to us in campaigns to create the change we need in our everyday lives.
We have to work harder. We have to protest louder. We have to keep fighting.
Follow Waymon Hudson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WaymonHudson
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/10/obamas-excruciating-trap-on-civil-rights.html
Andrew corrects the lie that some Obamaphiles make that he can't do anything, that Congress has to stop this...
If DADT is still in force on election day, we should all stay in bed with the Gay Flu.
Democrats must understand that we're not Log Cabin Republicans - we actually expect promises made to us to be kept. If Democrats want any gay votes, they have to earn them.
NOW! -- BEFORE ELECTION DAY. Period. End of story. No compromise. No discussion.
We're supposed to be partners in a progressive coalition, but we get no respect because we vote for Democrats and then let them climb over us to get what they want.
If Obama and Reid refuse to take action and Democrats lose control of the House or Senate because we stayed home, I guarantee you, Democrats will be highly motivated to take us seriously and address our issues before the 2012 election.
If DADT is still in force on election day, I want the headlines to read:
DEMOCRATS LOST BECAUSE GAYS STAYED HOME
If Democrats won't support our rights, let the Republicans win and everyone else can suffer along with us.
I don't want to hear any garbage about other priorities and how selfish we are. The Democrats are selling out working people as well. We need to light a fire under the Democrats and be ready to form a new progressive coalition if the Democratic Party won't get in line.
When judges appointed by the most virulently anti-gay presidents in history have managed to move the ball farther than an entire elected party who claims to be pro-gay, that's a good indication that we're not going to get our needs met by congress or the president.
Support the ACLU. Support Olsen and Boies. Support Dems for whatever they can actually do, even if it's just not being as blatantly offensive as Reps. But don't support Dems because you think they're going to repeal DADT and DOMA. They're not going to.
MAYBE if you get 64 Senators (at least 4 will join any Republic party filibuster of any gay rights issue), but that's just not going to happen.
We're supposed to be in a coalition with other progressives, but we're getting ignored and working people aren't faring too well either.
If we vote for those who don't support equal rights for all people or those who don't support the entire progressive coalition, we are selling ourselves out as well as the rest of the progressive coalition.
If Republicans win the election, we will not be the one's at fault because we did the correct and moral thing by voting for candidates that will actually fight for everyone.
The fault will lie with the Democrats who refuse to honor their commitments. The average voter may not understand that, but I guarantee you that anyone with any real influence will not only understand it, but be will also be highly motivated to do something about it before November, 2012.
"Do soldiers have the right not to have to serve with people who may be attracted to them?"
And the answer is....
No.
This question was answered years ago, when women were allowed to serve alongside men. It baffles me that a soldier is expected to remain professional while possibly doing missile silo duty with a pretty female soldier, yet the thought of sharing quarters with a gay male should send him into convulsions. Either we expect professional conduct and an understanding of the importance of not sexually harassing others from our troops... or we don't. The sexual orientation of each soldier has no bearing on whether or not they can do this. It's time for DADT to go.
"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...well you just can't get fooled two times."
George Heymont
http://myculturallandscape.blogspot.com/2007/11/about-author.html
Oh the HORROR of teh gay! However shall we save our military! Try making all those who act like middleschoolers (such as McCain, Jt. Chiefs and CIC...and 43 senators) start behaving like adults!